The „Great Wedding“ celebrated the nuptials of the Danish Prince-Elect Christian and the Saxon princess Magdalena Sibylle in Copenhagen in 1634. It was marked by the most spectacular court festival held in continental Europe during the Thirty Years´ War (1618-1648). The study undertakes a three-fold mission: first, to describe and analyze the „Great Wedding“ as a distinct phenomenon in the dynastic and cultural life of the court of Christian IV. of Denmark; second, to situate this specific festival in the context of other Danish festivals during the lifetime of that monarch; and third, to examine the spectacles (ballet, musical drama, fireworks, and masked tournament pageants) within the German Protestant tradition. This investigation also presents an overview of Danish court spectacles during the minority and early reign of Christian IV. Finally Wade also investigates the continuation of Danish festival culture during his later reign.weiterlesen